The file sediment_regional_results.csv contains the results of the regional assessments of status and trends in contaminants in sediment in the 2022 assessment of the UK's Clean Seas Environment Monitoring Programme (CSEMP). The results are based on summary measures of trend and stutus from individual timeseries models which can be found in sediment_regional_data.csv. These in turn are based on data extracted from the MERMAN database on 11 January 2023. Details of the modelling procedures can be found in the regional assessment reports listed below.
The regional assessments are the basis for the sediment component of the following Descriptor 8 Indicators in the UK's 2025 Marine Strategy Assessment:
* Status and Trends of Metals (including lead, cadmium and mercury) in Biota and Sediment
* Status and Trends in Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Biota and Sediment
* Status and Trends of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in Biota and Sediment
* Status and Trends of Polybrominated Diphenylethers (PBDEs) in Biota and Sediment
A full description of the sediment regional assessments can be found in the links below:
* regional assessment of metal concentrations in sediment
* regional assessment of PAH concentrations in sediment
* regional assessment of PCB concentrations in sediment
* regional assessment of PBDE concentrations in sediment
The file sediment_regional_results.csv is UTF-8-BOM encoded so can be read directly into Excel, or into R using the function read.csv with the argument fileEncoding = “UTF-8-BOM”.
The variables in the file are:
MSFD_subregion
Description: Marine Strategy Framework Directive subregion
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: Greater North Sea, Celtic Seas
Note: in the map of biogeographic regions the Greater North Sea comprises the Northern North Sea, Southern North Sea, and Eastern Channel, whilst the Celtic Seas comprises the Western Channel and Celtic Sea, Irish Sea, Minches and Western Scotland, Scottish Continental Shelf, and Atlantic North-West Approaches.
biogeographic_region
Description: biogeographic region
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: Northern North Sea, Southern North Sea, Irish Sea, Minches & Western Scotland
Notes:
* regional assessments are conducted at the biogeographic regional scale
* there are 8 biogeographic regions but only 4 with sufficient data for regional assessments
determinand_group
Description: contaminant group
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: Metals, PAH parent compounds, Polybrominated diphenyl ethers, Polychlorinated biphenyls
Note:
determinand
Description: contaminant
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: 46
Notes:
* see ICES reference codes for PARAM
* PAH is the code used for the regional assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, based on NAP, ACNLE, ACNE, FLE, PA, ANT, DBT, FLU, PYR, BAA, CHR, BAP, BEP, BBKF, DBAHA, PER, BGHIP and ICDP
* np_PCB is the code used for the regional assessment of non-planar polychlorinated biphenyls, based on CB28, CB52, CB101, CB138, CB153 and CB180
* PBDE is the code used for the regional assessment of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, based on BDE28, BDE47, BDE66, BDE85, BDE99, BD100, BD153, BD154, BD183 and BD209
trend_est
Description: the estimate of the regional trend
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: -6.2, 4.81
Notes:
* trend_est is the estimated regional yearly change in log concentration in the last 20 years, multiplied by 100
* trend_est can loosely be interpreted as the percentage yearly change in concentration in the last 20 years; values below / above 0 indicate a decreasing / increasing trend
trend_se
Description: the standard error of trend_est
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: 0.64, 3.96
Note:
trend_lcl
Description: the lower (two-sided) 95% confidence limit of trend_est
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: -9.1, 1.49
Note:
trend_ucl
Description: the upper (two-sided) 95% confidence limit of trend_est
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: -3.3, 8.12
Note:
trend
Description: a summary of the regional trend
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: up, down, stable
Notes:
* up: significant (p < 0.05) increase in concentration in the last 20 years
* down: significant (p < 0.05) decrease in concentration in the last 20 years
* stable: no significant (p > 0.05) change in concentration in the last 20 years
status_BAC_est
Description: the estimate of regional status compared to the Background Assessment Concentration (BAC)
Unit: dimensionless
Type: continuous
Range: -1.2, 6.92
Note: status_BAC_est is the estimated mean log(concentration / BAC) in the biogeographic_region in the most recent monitoring year (2021); a value above / below 0 indicates that the mean concentration in the biogeographic_region* is above / below the BAC
status_BAC_se
Description: the standard error of status_BAC_se
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: 0.15, 0.75
Note:
status_BAC_ucl
Description: the upper (one-sided) 95% confidence limit of status_BAC_est
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: -0.76, 7.29
Note:
CR_BAC_est
Description: the estimate of the regional BAC contaminant ratio
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: 0.3, 1012
Note: CR_BAC_est is the estimated regional mean concentration relative to the BAC, given by exp(status_BAC_est)
CR_BAC_ucl
Description: the upper (one-sided) 95% confidence limit of CR_BAC_est
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: 0.47, 1467
Notes:
* CR_BAC_ucl = exp(status_BAC_ucl)
* CR_BAC_ucl is used for the formal assessment of regional status (see status); if CR_BAC_ucl is below 1, concentrations in the region are said to be at background levels
status_EAC_est
Description: the estimate of regional status compared to the Environmental Assessment Criterion (EAC) or equivalent
Unit: dimensionless
Type: continuous
Range: -13, 0.47
Note: status_EAC_est is the estimated mean log(concentration / EAC) in the biogeographic_region in the most recent monitoring year (2021); a value above / below 0 indicates that the mean concentration in the biogeographic_region* is above / below the EAC
status_EAC_se
Description: the standard error of status_EAC_se
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: 0.15, 1.29
Note:
status_EAC_ucl
Description: the upper (one-sided) 95% confidence limit of status_EAC_est
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: -12, 0.8
Note:
CR_EAC_est
Description: the estimate of the regional EAC contaminant ratio
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: 0.0000026, 1.6
Notes:
* CR_EAC_est is the estimated regional mean concentration relative to the EAC, given by exp(status_EAC_est)
* CR_EAC_est is the value passed into the CHASE integrated assessment (see CHASE)
CR_EAC_ucl
Description: the upper (one-sided) 95% confidence limit of CR_EAC_est
Unit:
Type: continuous
Range: 0.0000043, 2.23
Notes:
* CR_EAC_ucl = exp(status_EAC_ucl)
* CR_EAC_ucl is used for the formal assessment of regional status (see status); if CR_EAC_ucl is below 1, concentrations in the region are said to be at acceptable levels.
status
Description: a summary of the regional status
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: blue, green, red, orange
Notes:
* blue: the regional BAC contaminant ratio is significantly below 1 (p < 0.05)
* green: the regional EAC contaminant ratio is significantly below 1 (p < 0.05)
* red: the regional EAC contaminant ratio is not significantly below 1 (p > 0.05)
* orange: the regional BAC contaminant ratio is not significantly below 1 (p > 0.05) and there is no EAC or equivalent
CHASE
Description: whether CR_EAC_est contributes to the CHASE integrated assessment
Unit:
Type: categorical
Levels: no, yes
Note: see details of the CHASE integrated assessment